Car Automotive and Design

Showing posts with label BMW. Show all posts

Grand Cherokee SRT-8 Teaches X6M, Gemballa and 911 Turbo Who's Boss, Loses to Mustang GT500

In the never-ending battle for supremacy on the drag strip, a previous generation Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 went out to prove its worth against a mix of stock as well as modified SUVs and sports cars.

The Grand Cherokee SRT-8 itself featured a supercharged version of the regular model's Hemi V8 pushing down 700-horsepower.

Its rivals were a BMW X6M tuned by Hamann with 670-ponies, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo-based Gemballa GT600 with 600-horses lurking under its hood, a stock Ford Mustang GT500 rated at 612-horsepower and a tuned Porsche 911 Turbo with 580-horses.

To see how the fights went down, hop past the break to watch the video.

BMW Recalling 1.3 Million 5- and 6-Series Models Worldwide Over Electrical Problem

A massive recall for some 1.3 million BMW models worldwide, including approximately 367,000 vehicles sold in the United States and 290,000 in Germany is underway.

The Bavarian automaker said that the recall affects all previous generation 5-Series and 6-Series models built between 2003 and 2010.

According to a statement released by the automaker, in some "remote cases", the battery cable cover inside the boot of the affected models may not have been correctly installed.

Egyptian Refuses to Pay $150,000 for BMW 1M Coupe, Shoe-horns M3 V8 into a 120d Coupe

If you live in the States and can justify spending a little under $50,000 on a car, the $47,010 BMW 1M Coupe (335hp) is a sound choice for those looking for a fast and fun to drive bimmer as it only costs $7,710 more the $39,300 135i Coupe (300hp) and $13,090 less than the $60,100 M3 Coupe (414hp).

However, in other parts of the world where governments apply ridiculously high taxes on cars, not even the 1M Coupe is a reasonable choice. Take Egypt for example.

According to 1addicts forum member “hatembmw”, the 1M Coupe costs some US$150,000 in Egypt because of the insane taxes! Who can blame him for not wanting to pay that much money for BMW's entry-level M model?

“Hatembmw” settled on a different solution: he took a 120d Coupe, stripped it down and swapped the four-cylinder diesel engine with a 414hp 4.0-liter V8 from the latest M3!

2013 BMW X1 Facelift to Debut at New York Auto Show, U.S. Sales to Start this Summer

The BMW X1 will launch in the United States sooner than what the Bavarian company has led us to believe the last time we reported about the matter, as the automaker today announced that the facelifted X1 would receive its world premiere at next month's 2012 New York International Auto Show and go on sale in the States this summer.

When the German automaker introduced the X3's smaller sibling back in the summer of 2009, it said that it would offer the X1 in the States in early 2011, but that never happened with BMW constantly delaying its launch.

Back to the present, BMW said that the revised X1 will be offered in America with its new 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder gasoline engine. The automaker did not release any other details nor any photos of the facelifted model.

Three of a Kind: BMW Classic Returns with a New Short Film About the 3-Series

Bimmer Stories is back with a new short film entitled “Three of a kind” that celebrates its world premiere at this week's Techno Classica 2012 show in Essen, Germany.

The film adopts a similar style to last year's “A perfect match”, which followed the story of a man and his search for an appropriate replacement for his scruffy BMW 1602.

This time, however, the film revolves around the first three generations of the BMW 3-Series. The two-door E21 is owned by Zach Galifianakis lookalike dressed in 1970s gaucherie, while the E30 convertible is driven by a stereotypical yuppie holding an oversized mobile phone and the E36 coupe by a cool and relaxed female driver.

Hartge Shows us how Fast its Tuned BMW 525d xDrive Accelerates on the Autobahn

It's one thing putting numbers on paper and another displaying the capabilities of a tuned vehicle in action on the road.

To make a better business case about its products, German tuning firm Hartge has published a video showcasing a BMW 525d xDrive with and without its power kit.

In standard guise, the 525d xDrive gets a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel churning out 215hp (218PS) and 450Nm (332 lb-ft). Hartge's power kit that includes a software upgrade lifts those numbers to 254hp (258PS) and 530Nm (391 lb-ft) respectively.

Hartge Muscles Up Diesel-Powered BMW X3 xDrive35d

While not available in all markets, the most powerful version of BMW's X3 crossover series isn't a petrol but a diesel model.

The X3 xDrive35d sports a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six diesel capable of delivering 309hp (313PS) at 4,400 rpm and a maximum torque of 630Nm (465 lb-ft) from 1,500 to 2,500 rpm, allowing for a zero to 100km/h sprint time of 5.8 seconds.

Not too shabby, especially if you consider that it also delivers a combined fuel consumption of 6.1lt/100 (equal to 38.6mpg US or 46.3mpg UK).

DIY: Give Some BMW Pizzazz to Your Logitech G27 Steering Wheel and Shifter

It's been a long time since I last played Gran Turismo but with the release of the GT5 XL Edition I finally jumped on the bandwagon and bought the game, and well, you know how these things go. The PS3 controller turned out to be fun for about 2.3 minutes and then I ended up getting a Logitech G27.

Sure there are many other notable steering wheel, pedal and shifter sets, namely from Fanatec and Thrustmaster, but the G27 is perhaps the best bang for your money as you can often find it in the US$210-$230 region, occasionally even less.

Upon receiving the G27, that little tuning voice in my head told me that I should customize the stock steering wheel and shifter.

You can find plenty of modifications for the G27 online (GTPlanet is a good place to start) with aftermarket steering wheels and shifters (i.e. Momo or Sparco), but I wanted something different and at the same time, more economical with the ability to easily reverse the mods without damaging the device.

So, after shopping around at eBay, I decided to go with a BMW theme for both the steering wheel and the gear knob.

SCOOP: New BMW 3- or 4-Series Hardtop Convertible Nabbed Playing in the Cold

The convertible edition of the BMW 3-Series may be the least popular body style in the range, but it's one that is widely considering to be leader in its segment while also returning higher profits per unit compared to the regular models.

And whereas most manufacturers prefer to offer either a coupe and a soft top cabriolet or a single hardtop convertible model, with the presentation of the fifth generation 3-Series Convertible in 2006, BMW decided to do both.

Hartge's Untamed BMW 1 M Coupe Pushes Out 396-horses

Joining a multitude of tuners that have worked over the BMW 1 M Coupe this past year is Hartge. The German company's program includes both performance upgrades and styling modifications for the M version of the 1-Series Coupe.

The tweaking starts under the hood with a Hartge power kit and a sports exhaust system that improve upon the standard model's 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six lifting output from 335hp (340PS) to 396hp (401PS) at 5,850 rpm and maximum torque from 450Nm to 530Nm (391 lb-ft) at 2,950 rpm.

BMW i-FD is a Concept Study for a Green Sports Sedan

While BMW is officially keeping quiet about the matter, understandably, it’s not a question if the Bavarian automaker will introduce a four-door model into the range of it's newly launched i-sub brand, but when.

Currently, we're looking forward to the presentation of the production versions of the i3 hatchback and the i8 sports coupe, both of which have been spied on several occasions.

Until the time comes for BMW to either inform us about its future plans or better yet, tease us with a concept model, we have a study to show you. It's called the BMW i-FD and it was created by independent industrial designer Feliciano Ruy-Díaz from Valencia, Spain.

The young designer says that the inspiration for the styling of the i-FD came from the work of renowned Spanish architect and structural engineer Santiago Calatrava as well as the forms of ancient Greek armor and the lines of a white shark.

SPIED: BMW's New M3 Sedan Drops Two Cylinders but Gains Turbochargers

The engineers over at BMW's M division have their hands full with a variety of upcoming projects, one of which is the new M3 captured here in a sedan body style.

The first thing you'll need to know about the next M3 saloon and its two-door siblings (rumor has it they may be named M4), is that the current model's 4.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8 will give its place to a smaller displacement six-cylinder engine that will follow the example of the M5 employing the use of turbochargers.

Chris Harris Test Drives BMW's Tri-Turbocharged and Diesel-Powered M550d xDrive Sedan

The new BMW M550d xDrive may be a forbidden fruit in the largest English-speaking markets of the world but that doesn't make the diesel-powered sports saloon any less interesting.

In the latest edition of his online show, DRIVE, Chris Harris sat in the driver's seat of the new BMW M Performance car and took it for a test drive.

Before you watch the video after the break, we'll remind you that the M550d xDrive sports a 3.0-liter inline-six diesel with three turbochargers sending 381PS (375bhp) and a monstrous 740Nm (546 lb-ft) of peak torque to all-four wheels through a standard 8-speed automatic for a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of just 4.7 seconds.

BMW gets Interactive with TV Viewers of South African M5 Commercial

We are more accustomed to seeing ads that engage viewers through the internet (i.e. Peugeot's raunchy commercial on the 208) but BMW's South African arm created an interactive spot on the new M5 sports saloon targeting television viewers.

The clip starts with a message that reads: "The following is a high performance ad designed with BMW M5 drivers in mind. Those that don't drive an M5 may prefer to view it in slow motion. Just press the white button on your PVR remote."

You can see the ad in action in the video that follows below the break.

Hamann's Geneva Motor Show-Bound BMW M5 F10 gets 710-Ponies

Although it specializes in tuning a wide range of cars from Audis to Ferraris, the company founded by Richard Hamann in 1986 has linked its name mostly to BMW's performance models.

The new F10 M5 is the latest model from the Bavarian manufacturer to be tuned by Hamann Motorsport and it will be officially revealed in Geneva this week.

Starting with the styling package, the front and rear wings have been enlarged by 25 and 30mm respectively on each side, while the M5 also gets new front and rear bumpers that are said to reduce lift, side sills, and roof and boot lid spoilers.

AC Schnitzer Gives the BMW M5 Saloon 612-Horsepower

The 328i-based ASC3 Turbo won't be the only new BMW model that AC Schnitzer will debut the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in a few days' time as the German tuning house has also scheduled the world premiere of its M5-based ACS5 Sport Saloon.

The ACS5 Sport Saloon benefits from an upgraded version of the M5's 4.4-liter bi-turbo V8 with software tune and a custom exhaust system that do their part to lift output from 560hp and a peak torque of 680 Nm (502 lb-ft) to 612hp and a massive 790 Nm (582.6 lb-ft).

AC Schnitzer Turns the BMW 328i Saloon to the ASC3 Turbo with 291-Horses

We won't have to wait until the Geneva Motor Show's grand opening on Tuesday to find out what AC Schnitzer has in store for us, as the German tuner of all things BMW related has published details on its first take on the new 3-Series sedan.

The tune is based on the 328i, which in stock form is fitted with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four churning out 240hp and 350 Nm (258.1 lb-ft), allowing for a zero to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 5.9 seconds and a limited top speed of 250km/h (155mph).

BMW Launches UK-Only M3 Coupe and Convertible Limited Edition 500

A 420HP M3 is, in itself, a special model even in standard specification. Nevertheless, BMW has decided to launch a new Limited Edition version of both the coupe and convertible variants of the M3 that will be produced in 500 units, all of which are destined for the UK market.

The M3 Limited Edition 500 does not feature any mechanical changes: it is still powered by the normally aspirated 420HP V8 which transfers power to the rear axle via a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. So, no change in performance or handling (as in the hardcore GTS for example) compared to the stock model then.

SPY SHOTS: New 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe is On its Way

BMW is planning to inject some serious power under the hood of its sexy 6-Series Gran Coupe sports sedan with the addition of a flagship version wearing the iconic M badge.

However, don't expect any prizes for guessing the power source as it's a well-known fact that all upper level BMW M models are motivated by the same or in some cases, mildly modified version of the brand's 4.4-liter bi-turbo V8 engine.

We anticipate that it will be the same unit found in the brand-new M6 Coupe and Convertible models with the internal designation S63Tü.

And while there's always the possibility of BMW M engineers fiddling around with the electronics to push out a few more ponies, chances are it will deliver the same output at 560-horses (412kW) between 5,750 and 7,000 rpm, and a peak torque of 680Nm (502lb-ft) from 1,500 to 5,750 rpm.

Vilner Studio Reimagines New BMW 5-Series Sedan's Interior

While a fairly new entry in the aftermarket industry, Bulgarian design studio Vilner is beginning to make a name for itself. The company specializes in designing more premium interiors and its latest work based on the new BMW 5-Series sedan (F10) is no different.

The car was created for Bulgarian footballer Kostadin Stoyanov who currently plays for CSKA Sofia.

Vilner redid the 5-Series sedan's interior in white leather for the outer parts of the seats, sections of the door panels, the center console and the lower part of the dashboard while it chose black Alcantara for the headliner and the center portions of the seats.

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